Many homes and commercial bathrooms are equipped with a sink for washing. Types of sinks include pedestal sinks, drop-in or self-rimming sinks, and vanity sinks. These sinks include a bowl for holding water and a rim that defines an outer edge of the sink. The vanity sink includes a countertop that extends outwardly from the bowl to form a planar surface around the bowl. The rim or countertop at the rear of the bowl includes holes for receiving a faucet fixture for communicating water into the bowl. A back splash typically extends upwardly along the back edge of the rim. The back splash prevents water from splashing from the bowl or flowing from the countertop onto the wall from which the sink extends. An annular stem extends downwardly from the bottom of the bowl for receiving a drain pipe.
Many sinks are manufactured in molds with a mixture which hardens to a stone-like rigidity. In the terminology of the art, the material in the mixture is a cast polymer, such as cultured marble. This material provides the finished sink with a smooth, marble-like surface. The finished sink is placed in a container for shipping to distribution centers and retail outlets for sale.
The stone-like sink presents special packaging considerations for storing, shipping and displaying. The container must hold the sink, protect it from damage, and display the sink for sale. A large container may hold a sink with padding for protection, but if the container is excessively large, transportations, handling, and storage costs are increased. Reducing these costs with a smaller container and less padding, however, may lead to damage to the sinks during handling and shipping. For example, the sink made of cultured marble particularly is susceptible to chipping or cracking. Chips and cracks often are caused by sharp hits during handling and shipping. The hits may be caused by equipment handling the container, for example, a fork lift truck. Also, one container may be caused to hit another and damage to the sinks in each may occur. The container preferably protects the sink from damage caused by such hits, or at least reduces the force of the blow and thereby resists damage to the sink. Also, the outwardly-extending bowl and drain biases the sink to tipping in the container. The container preferably provides a sturdy base so that the sink does not fall over during storage and display. Finally, the sink preferably is viewable during display for sale. The consumer can inspect the sink before purchase. The container therefore preferably continues to protect the sink until it is removed for installation.
Corrugated paperboard containers have been used to hold and protect sinks for storing, shipping and displaying. Corrugated paperboard containers typically are formed from a single blank having scores that define four wall panels. A flap, known in the packaging industry as a manufacturer's joint, joins one end of the blank with the other to form a knocked-down container. Flaps foldably attach to the walls along scores to define the bottom and the top of the container when it is assembled for holding a sink. These containers are known in the industry as regular slotted containers. In the terms of the industry, the container is "squared-open" and the bottom flaps are secured together, such as with tape or staples. The sink is placed inside and the top flaps closed and secured together.
The use of padding in such regular slotted containers varies. The containers hold the sink closely to the bottom and walls of the container. The annular stem for the drain bears on the bottom and may be damaged or chipped during handling. The bottom and other contact points of the container may thereby be worn. This could weaken the container, create a hole and tears, and may lead to damage of the sink. To cushion the sink against handling shocks, egg-carton type padding is placed on the bottom of the container and on the sink before the top flaps are closed. In other containers, corrugated paperboard tubes having rectangular cross-sections support the sink in the container. For example, corrugated tubes positioned in the corners of the container restrict the sink from tipping and from contacting the walls of the container. In other of such containers, corrugated tubes are positioned on the bottom flaps against the opposing sides of the container. The sink sits in a sleeve on the tubes. The bowl of the sink inserts through a slotted opening in a sheet of corrugated paperboard that forms the sleeve. Flaps on the sides of the sheet fold inward and form tubes that sandwich around the rim of the sink. The sleeve holds the sink in the container. The bottom surface of the sleeve rests on the tubes which support the sink in the container. Another four-panel container uses a styrofoam block with a cavity that receives the sink. Styrofoam pads may also be used to cushion the sink in the container. The styrofoam however is bulky and its disposal problems lessen its utility as a packing and shipping material.
The four-panel containers discussed above are bulky and sized to form a rectangular shell around the sink. The sinks are placed square in the container, so that the countertop is horizontal and parallel to the top flaps of the container. The height of the container is sufficient to enclose the sink including the upwardly extending back splash and the downwardly extending bowl and annular stem. The space in the container accommodates the downwardly extending bowl and the upwardly extending L-shaped back splash and countertop. While the container affords protection to the sink during shipping and handling, the size of the container limits the number of containers that can be held in a typical rack storage shelf or on a pallet. A container that occupies a smaller volume would permit more containers to be displayed on a shelf or held on a pallet. This would reduce handling and shipping costs of sinks.
These known containers have other drawbacks which limit their usefulness for display of the sink. The closed container prevents the consumers at retail centers from examining the sink. To solve the display problem, a dashed line has been imprinted around an upper portion of the container. The dashed line indicates where the container could be cut so that it is easily opened for inspection and display. While facilitating inspection and display of the sink, removal of the upper portion of the container presents drawbacks. The opened carton could not be placed on its side, for example, on shelves. The sink would tip out. Sales centers accordingly have to stack the containers of sinks. Also, consumers resist for any number of reasons purchasing an item in an open container. The reasons for resistance include the perception that parts may be missing, the perception that the sink may be damaged, and a perception that another consumer purchased and then returned the item for unknown reasons. Labor and time is also required to place and open the containers.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for an corrugated paperboard container for that more efficiently uses storage space for holding sinks, protects and cushions the sink during handling and shipping, and displays the sink for sale without modification.